Tidemand leads the way at his icy home World Championship rally in Sweden

 

› Snowfall: ŠKODA works driver Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Jonas Andersson shine on icy routes in Norway and Sweden

› Impressive display: Talented youngster Ole Christian Veiby running third in a private FABIA R5

› Pontus Tidemand: "A true rally festival"

 

Torsby/Sweden, 10 February 2017 – ŠKODA works driver Pontus Tidemand (S) has taken an early lead on icy routes at his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2). The 26-year-old and his co-driver Jonas Andersson (S) dominated day two of the Rally Sweden, although the majority of Friday’s action took place in neighbouring Norway. Cheered on by thousands of passionate spectators, talented youngster Ole Christian Veiby (N) also impressed in a ŠKODA FABIA R5 run by a private team. Veiby is currently third going into the weekend.

"The Rally Sweden is a true rally festival. I started my home event cautiously, but then adapted better to driving on snow and ice with every stage. The snowfall made the routes particularly tricky if you strayed from the racing line," said Tidemand. Sweden’s Motorsport Athlete of the Year was second behind fellow ŠKODA driver Veiby after the opening stage in Karlstad on Thursday evening. The impressive youngster won Friday’s first stage at the wheel of a ŠKODA FABIA R5, before Tidemand upped the tempo to win five of the day’s seven special stages.

The Swede moved into the lead for the first time courtesy of an outstanding drive on stage four, "Svullrya 1". He then proceeded to extend his lead over the course of the afternoon. The highlight of the day was the stage in the dark around the service park in Torsby, where the ŠKODA driver thrilled his compatriots with the fastest time. By the end of the longest day of the Rally Sweden, with 145.65 kilometres against the clock, Tidemand had pulled 45.1 seconds clear of the man second in the overall WRC 2 standings in 2016, Teemu Suninen (FIN).

"My ŠKODA FABIA R5 was running perfectly again, and offers perfect grip on the studded tyres. It is a joy to drive this rally car," said Tidemand. Last year, he missed out on victory at his home rally by just 14.7 seconds, and the Swede is determined to make amends this time out: "A win this early in the season would obviously be worth its weight in gold. However, there is still a long way to go. The rally has only just started."

Less than half of the kilometres against the clock have been completed. A good 125 kilometres await Tidemand and Co. on Saturday, spread over seven special stages. The highlight promises to be the Vargåsen stage, which the competitors must tackle twice. It is on this stage that the "Colin’s Crest Award" is presented for the longest jump over a certain crest, in memory of Colin McRae. The record stands at 45 metres and was set by Norway’s Eyvind Brynildsen, who is currently well behind Tidemand in eighth place in the WRC 2 standings at the Rally Sweden.

ŠKODA Motorsport claimed a one-two, courtesy of Andreas Mikkelsen (N) and Jan Kopecký (CZ), at round one of the world championship, the iconic Rally Monte Carlo. Pontus Tidemand is on track to back up this opening success at the Rally Sweden.

Rally Sweden standings (WRC 2):

1. Tidemand/Andersson (S/S) ŠKODA FABIA R5 1:20:48.9 hrs

2. Suninen/Markkula (FIN/FIN) Ford Fiesta R5 + 0:45.1 min

3. Veiby/Skjærmoen (N/N) ŠKODA FABIA R5 + 0:58.8 min

4. Camilli/Veillas (F/F) Ford Fiesta R5 + 2:02.8 min

5. Greensmith/Parry (GB/GB) Ford Fiesta R5 + 2:31.3 min

Number of the day: 380

To ensure there is sufficient grip on the frozen surface, every tyre at the Rally Sweden has about 380 spikes. The steel studs are 20 millimetres long and each weigh four grams. Incidentally, most production cars are also fitted with studded tyres for everyday driving during the cold Swedish winter.

The 2017 calendar for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2)

Event Date

Rally Monte Carlo 19.01.–22.01.2017

Rally Sweden 09.02.–12.02.2017

Rally Mexico 09.03.–12.03.2017

Rally France 06.04.–09.04.2017

Rally Argentina 27.04.–30.04.2017

Rally Portugal 18.05.–21.05.2017

Rally Italy 08.06.–11.06.2017

Rally Poland 29.06.–02.07.2017

Rally Finland 27.07.–30.07.2017

Rally Germany 17.08.–20.08.2017

Rally Spain 05.10.–08.10.2017

Rally Great Britain 26.10.–29.10.2017

Rally Australia 16.11.–19.11.2017

ŠKODA Motorsport Overview:

ŠKODA has been successful on the motorsport scene since 1901. Be it on the circuit or in rallies, ŠKODA has celebrated victories and won titles all around the world. Historical highlights include winning the title in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2) for the first time in 2016, numerous title wins in the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), as well as the victory in the European Touring Car Championship in 1981. ŠKODA teams have also triumphed in the world’s oldest and most famous rally, taking several class victories in the legendary Monte Carlo, which was first held in 1911.

2016 was one of the most successful years in the 116-year history of ŠKODA Motorsport. In the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2), Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) won the title for the Czech car maker for the first time. In total, ten of the 2016 season’s races in the World Rally Championship were won by a ŠKODA FABIA R5. ŠKODA drivers Gustavo Saba (PY) and Gaurav Gill (IND) also won the continental championships in South America and the Asia-Pacific region at the wheel of the successful ŠKODA FABIA R5. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q) was unbeatable in the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), while a further ten national titles also went the way of ŠKODA drivers.

The ŠKODA FABIA R5, a high-tech 4x4, was homologated by the International Automobile Federation FIA on 1 April 2015. ŠKODA’s new FABIA R5 is successfully continuing the long tradition of ŠKODA Motorsport. Its predecessor, the FABIA SUPER 2000, won 50 national and international titles around the world. In 2017, works duos Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson (S/S) and Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler (CZ/CZ) will contest selected races in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2). Kopecký/Dresler will also compete in the Czech Rally Championship (MČR), where they will be looking to claim a third title in a row.